Team celebration shot with set scores.
February 24, 2026

Third-set comeback sparks sweep over Graceland

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — The Morningside men’s volleyball team showed plenty of grit Tuesday night, rallying from a 12-point deficit in the third set to sweep Graceland at Allee Gym.

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SIOUX CITY, Iowa — The Morningside men's volleyball team showed plenty of grit Tuesday night, rallying from a 12-point deficit in the third set to sweep Graceland at Allee Gym.

Morningside (16-3, 4-2 HAAC) trailed 18-6 in the third set, but closed the match on a 19-3 run to get back in the win column. The Mustangs won by set scores of 25-23, 25-13, and 25-21.

"We played our style of volleyball, and that comeback is something I've never seen before," head coach Noah Marasco-Ayau said. "We fixed our mistakes from the weekend, and we cared about playing hard."

The Mustangs came out of a timeout by scoring five straight points, including a service ace from Malu Wilcox and two kills from Natan Alves. Then, they scored eight consecutive points, which allowed the Mustangs to catch up to the Yellowjackets at 19-19. Mohamed Benkrid had three kills, while Alves chipped in with an ace.

The final four points came by way of four hitting errors by Graceland. Lucca Stoelinga was the server during that stretch. Stoelinga had a team-high two aces.

Morningside's offense set the tone in Set 1, hitting .368 with five errors.

"We saw what was open and we were not just going out to swing," Marasco-Ayau said. "We played smarter. Once we play our style of volleyball, everything works. Every day is a day for us to prove that we belong."

The defense held the Yellowjackets at bay by holding them to minus-.160.

Benkrid led Morningside with 15 kills, while Alves added seven and Edoardo Pirazzo chipped in six. Wilcox directed the offense with 35 of the team's 37 assists. Tucker Juhnke paced the defense with 15 digs, and Alves added 12.